…tasty bites to stimulate your taste buds..

Posts tagged ‘Laduree’

I have waited months to reattempt this recipe. The first time I had French macarons was at Cocola Bakery in San Jose when I was cake tasting for my wedding and saw how beautiful they look in the display. Macarons in the U.S. pale in comparison to the ones in France. While we were honeymooning in Paris, we stopped by the famous Laduree bakery and tried their macarons. They were amazing. Laduree had just about any combination you can think of. We thought about bringing some back for our families but still had 5 days of travel before heading home.

Macarons are known as temperamental cookies and require a lot of patience. I forgot how many failures I had. The first time I made them, the mixture was runny and the macarons did not rise. Another time, the oven was too hot and they all cracked. My friend, Amy, came over for our poker party and gave me her macaron recipe and some awesome tips. I followed Amy’s recommendation and did not age my egg whites. Some recipes call for aging them in the fridge for up to 5 days, but I left my egg whites at room temp for a few hours. After piping the macarons, I let them sit for 45-60 minutes to harden their shells. I preheated the oven at 350˚F, and then turned the heat to 280˚F for baking to minimize overheating. Everyone’s oven is different so you have to find your magic temperature. I was so happy when I caught a glimpse of the macarons with their beautiful FEET through the oven. FEET equal success. I was jumping for joy! Finally, after many attempts, the macarons came out perfect. Hopefully, these tips will send you in the right direction on your macaron adventure.